“Perhaps,” she said; “but next winter's a long way off.”
“That's so,” said Larry, every whit as glad of the fact as was Courage herself. “And you said,” he continued, “that Mary Duff is going to care for that little lame Joe of John Osborne's.”
“Yes,” Courage answered, “though Mr. Osborne can't afford to pay her anything, as papa did for me; but she says she doesn't mind; if she only has her home and her board she can manage, and that it's just her life to care for motherless little children that need her.”
“Ah! but that Mary Duff's a good woman,” said Larry, and Courage mutely shook her head from side to side, as though it were quite hopeless to so much as attempt to tell how very good she was.
After awhile Larry went down to the boat to give some directions to his cabin-boy, Dick, and Courage went with him. When that was completed, a long shrill whistle brought Bruce bounding from some mysterious quarter, and the three started up the dock. The 'longshoremen were just quitting work as they neared them, and Larry paused to have a word with Big Bob and the other men whom he knew, Courage keeping fast hold of his hand all the while.
“Now she's got him she don't mean to let him go,” said one of the men as they passed on.
“I'd like to be in Larry's shoes, then,” muttered Big Bob, who led rather a lonely life of it, and would have been only too glad to have had such a little girl as Courage confided to his keeping.
